Animal capturing apparatus



NOV. 4, 1952 CQRNALBA 2,616,212

ANIMAL CAPTURING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 25, 1948 INVENTOR, TULIO HUMBERTO ANTONIO CORNALBA Ba k/ ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 4, 1952 UNITED ANIMAE; QA TT G' ABE-535E15- Tuliolh m erto n o lba Buenosi -Aires, Argentina;

Anhliea ioa August 25 4 Seria 46 99 In, Arg ntina gus 9,, ,947

7 Claims. (CI. 4389)- s nvent on relat s to animal captu n anna tus and e es cially to. ap a atus o the ype including a m mb r adap ed to b baited and is h e naf er d r b d pa ticu arly thou h. not exclusively, in relation to fishing, and there.- re, as od d a device adap ed to. eplete, known fish hooks as used on fishing lines with r W ut r ds, r und, ihes ni ht lines and: the like.

As thus embodied my inv ion comp s one or mo e movable elements. i e l y, adapted o pie e and. old a fish w en h la er takes or ni l s. the ait an latch. co nected to said bait. and a an e fo snap a t e ease y t sh v es lie t meansv a low hepo ehti l ner y o be um at d, t operate the m shanism o h a p rat s and to actuate he abovemention d mo b elemen s Sai l mo able. eleents a e ar an ed o more n at hi h. a e o. depe dent on h relativ position o e ait. nd. oft e movab lements hat th latter whe at t e o t r operat ve mot oh may s ike an i e some art o th body of t efish. in prox m ty t he b it- M r v he appara tis hay be pr vid d. th eans fo load ng o et in the ao ara ils, loading e bein co ne te to sa resil nt m s a a a t d. o ap ly he for e oi the o d dire ly to the movable e ements It is nt th t an a paratus osses ing th u dam nt fe t s cli'seloee l a ove wlllmalre ish ier s nc i ften ha pens that h l ul a the bait, and e pul it oilthe h. is w hou s allowin he la er which is. one. i wh h fis e au ht fishin met ods makin e of a hook- Moreove w e t e a h ratus i p ovided i h aid l a ng, means. su l a n may be peri rmed. r adi y and. with little risk to the user.

I t e ac m an ing dr wings;

Fi .1 s ows a pa t sectiona fr nt view oi the appara us open hos on;

Fi 2 w t i hal t orit view.- of he app a us i c s d. os n a 3 hows a side view of the embodi me it i us ra ed in Fias-..i and; Z'lll the same s eet as in Fi 2;

Fig. 4 is a side vie i mo able element pro-- v deo i h a s arp nedv portion apted to be r e nt the f sh; a d.

Fig- 5. s a en ar d ront. ew oi the la oh member- The. embodiment llustraterl'ih Figures .l, 3 comer. A stem I .hayinsat one or i s e s,- a lon itudinally extendin slot a spaced parallel legs 2a and two movable elements 3 withinth slot, each provided with a sharp end or piercing membe 4 adapt to b v n into the body f the fish. iiaidelements 3 are moreover provided with a head and to having a perforation 5 in each. A pivot-pin 6 for said movable elements 3 passes through the perforations 5 of each of said elements 3 and connects the latter to stem I; passing through holes I made, for this purpose in said legs 2a. Each movable element 3 is provided with a latching notch 8 adapted to be en a ed by latch memb 9, Pr v th a l in tooth i0 su ta h p d to e a e sa notches 8 Latch 9 has a centrally disposed elongated slot H and is provided at its end remote from tooth [I] with a baitable member such as bo k 737- A. uiderih l u ounds, he slotted end of stem I nd. is rigidly s cured thereto b pin l2. e tend n h ough lees 2a of stem I a s the slot 2 thereof andffreely through slot ll, of latch member 9, which can thus move in slot 2; relatively to pin 2 It will be seen thatthe, latch member is thus slidably guided in the ring and limit d n ts. movement by th pin.

n a t ting in memb t having a, cone vex tape [1 is slidably mounted on stem I, the face of said ring nearest said elements 3 being pre e abl thou h not, necessarily co c v o: as: to en a e he contact ed es 22 f memb r 3- A spr n 18. u rou ds stem l o h s e o actuating ring [6 remote from slot 2 and the, end of said spring remote from actuating ring l6 abuts against collar is fast on the stem Land t ot er e oi he spring ag n said aetti: ating ring I6. A suspension ring 21 passing through a,ho1e 20 is connected to said stern adiaoe t. the o 'ed en e eof an p ovides a convenient means for securing he apparatus,

to a fishing line.

The el men s 3 m b m d m et. material Sa d elem nts 3 a e ut e t t d es 22 so that. when, placed as illustrated in Figs' 1, 2 and 3, the lower ed e of actuating ring, I6" will rest on said contact edges 22; moreover elements, 3 have a flatedge portion 23 serving to limit their m ion. b en agem t. o a 23 wi h ui e. in l4, he thickness of elemen s 3., at least,v he p i n ver. w ic said elements 3 move withih Slot 2, is s h tha th sum of the, thi knes wi l be only' s i htly smaller than the width o the he latch mem e a, which i a is r f rab y li ht y hhe t an the Wldth ot 2. so that ooth ill h a thle s ess tliia substant ally eq al to e s m. of the thiokh sse of the two elements 3, and may thus act as a atc in devi e i r said elements b in raneously engaging both notches 8 when the latter are alined as shown in Figure 1. The outside diameter of ring [6, is of a size to enable it to be gripped by the fingers while loading of the apparatus as will hereinafter appear.

Collar l9 and the upper end of stem 1 may be a single piece secured, as by screwing, to the rest of stem I; it is also possible to-make of one single piece the unit formed by collar 19 and the Whole of stem I, but in that event the assembly sequence would be reversed.

Ring [4 may be modified extending it upwards into a fork, the legs of which may then be utilized as retaining members to hold pivot pin 6 in place.

Referring more especially to the release mechanism of the apparatus shown in Figure 1, it

should be noticed that notch 8 provided on each movable element should have a form such that at least the edge of said notch 8 laterally resting against tooth I when the latter acts as a stop, makes a suitable angle 24 with the longitudinal axis AA of stem i, said angle, with which a lateral edge of tooth should register, should be of a size to provide through friction between notch 8 and tooth iii, a resistance counterbalancing the torque set up in elements 3 by tended to be used in rust producing media, its

parts should be made of rust-proof materials' Operation of apparatus illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is as follows: As illustrated in Figure 1, the apparatus is in loaded position, that is, the movable elements 3 are separated or openas to their free ends, tooth in engages both notches 8 which are alined with each other and acts to prevent movement of elements 3, spring I8 is compressed between ring [6 and collar l9, and slidable ring I6 strongly presses its lower edge against eccentric edges 22 of elements 3. Under these conditions, if the apparatus is held by suspension ring 21 and a smaller effort is exerted pulling on hook I3, said effort will cause latch 9 to slide lengthwise of stem I guided by slot l I, thereby desengaging tooth In from notches 8 and thus permitting actuating ring I6 to move under the thrust of spring I8 along stem 1 and to act on the eccentric contact edges 22 to urge movable elements 3 to cause their free ends to approach each other with a snap into closed relationship, whereupon the apparatus will have its parts disposed as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. 7

In order to load the apparatus again, it is turned upside down, the end of stem I provided with ring 2| is pressed against a suitably firm surface and ring [6 is gripped and pressed down, whereupon spring l8 will be compressed, movabl elements 3 will by gravity, open, and'at the moment when both notches 8 are in alinement latch 9 will drop by gravity, engaging-tooth ID in both notches. On releasing ring IS, the apparatus will be loaded. Now, ifhook 13 has previously been baited the apparatus thus loaded according to the foregoing description, may be suspended from a line passing through suspension ring 2i and let I down into a suitable place ready for fishing. If the agent producing 'the small effort mentioned above is a fish pulling on the bait on hook i3, thus causing the release or discharge of the apparatus, the movable elements 3 will snap into closed position, and the sharp ends, 4 will be driven into the fish.

It is obvious that this invention provides apparatus which, besides being usea as a fishing tackle, may be employed for catching other animals, by using an appropriate bait and conveniently arranging the suspension or supporting means. Moreover, although I have described my invention with particular reference to a preferred embodiment, I do not desire to be limited thereby but may make such modifications thereof and changes therein as lie within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An aparatus for capturing animals comprising a stem, spaced parallel legs at one end of the stem, a plurality of movable elements each having a head portion at one end and animal piercing means at the other end, and including a latching notch at one side of the head and a contact edge at the side of said head remote from said notch, said elements being pivoted at said heads to said legs for movement between an open loaded position in which the respective animal piercing means are substantially separated and the notches are positioned in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the stem and a closed discharged position in which said animal piercing means are in close proximity to each other and the notches are positioned transversely of said stem, a guide ring surrounding the ends of said legs, a slotted member slidably mounted between said legs within said guide ring and including alatching member at one end and a baitable, means at the other end thereof, a pin passing transversely between said legs and through said slotted member to permit sliding movement thereof lengthwise of the stem while preventing separation thereof from said stem, said latching member being located on the same side of the movable elements as said notches when the elements are 'in the open loaded position, an actuating member slidably mounted on said stem on the side of 1 the elements remote from said slotted member,

said actuating member having a surface simultaneously engageable with the contact edges of said elements, an abutment on said stem on the side of the actuating member remote from the elements and spaced therefrom and a spring surrounding said stem and extending between said" abutment and said actuating member to urge said actuating member towards said legs.

2. An apparatus for capturing animals comprising a stem, spaced parallel legs extending in the lengthwise direction of said stem from one end thereof, a plurality of movable platelike elements each having animal piercing means at one charged position in which said animal piercing, means are in close proximity to each other and said notches are directed substantially transversely of said stem axis, a guide ring on the lower end of said stem, a slotted member slidably mounted between said legs within said guide ring and comprising latching means at one end and baitable,

means at the other, a pin secured to said legs, and

extending transversely through said slotted member, an actuating member slidably mounted on the stem and including a surface engaging simule taneously the contact edges of said elements, an abutment fastened on said stem and spaced away from said legs and a spring surrounding said stem and having one end engaging said actuating member and the other engaging said abutment.

3. An apparatus for capturing animals comprising a central stem, at least two animal holding hooks pivoted adjacent the lower end of said stem and swingable outwardly to a set position and inwardly to an animal holding position, said hooks having notches therein adapted to be aligned when the hooks are swung outwardly, a guide ring on the lower end of said stem, a latching element having a bait hook at its lower end and slidably mounted on said stem within said ring and adapted to engage in the notches in said animal holding hooks, and a spring on said stem adapted to drive the animal holding hooks downwardly when released by the latching element.

4. An apparatus for capturing animals comprising a central stem, at least two animal holding hooks pivoted adjacent the lower end of said stem swingable outwardly to a set position and inwardly to an animal holding position, said hooks having notches therein adapted to be aligned when the hooks are swung outwardly, a guide ring on the lower end of said stem, a latching element having a bait hook at its lower end and slidably mounted on said stem within said ring and adapted to engage in the notches in said animal holding hooks, a ring surrounding said stem and engageable with said animal holding hooks, and a spring on said stem abutting said ring and adapted to drive the animal holding hooks downwardly when released by the latching element.

5. An apparatus for capturing animals comprising a central stem, at least two animal holding hooks pivoted adjacent the lower end of said stem and swingable outwardly to a set position and inwardly to an animal holding position, said hooks having notches therein adapted to be aligned when the hooks are swung outwardly, a guide ring on the lower end of said stem below the pivot point of said hooks, a latching element slidably mounted in the guide ring and having a bait hook at its lower end and adapted to engage in the notches in said animal holding hooks, and a spring on said stem adapted to drive the animal holding hooks downwardly when released by the latching element.

6. An apparatus for capturing animals comprising a central stem slotted at its lower end, at least two animal holding hooks pivoted within the slotted portion and swingable outwardly to a set position and inwardly to an animal holding position, said hooks having notches therein adapted to be aligned when the hooks are swung outwardly, a guide cap on the lower end of said stem having a, central aperture therein, a latching element slidably mounted in the slotted portion of the stem and in the guide cap extending through the central aperture in the latter, said latching element having a bait hook adapted to engage in the notches in the animal holding hooks, and a spring on said stem adapted to drive the animal holding hooks downwardly when released by the latching element.

7. An apparatus for capturing animals, particularly fish, comprising a stem slotted at one end to define a pair of spaced parallel legs, a pivot pin hole in said legs perpendicular to the slot, a plurality of movable elements, each having one sharp end providing means for piercing said animal and pivot holes at the opposite end, said movable elements being mounted between said legs with the pivot holes in alignment with the pivot pin holes, a pivot pin passing through all of said holes, a latch member slotted to form a centrally disposed elongated slot and including a tooth at one end and a baitable member at the other end, said latch member being slidably mounted between said legs adjacent the end of the stem with said tooth adjacent said movable members, a guide ring surrounding the end of said stem with said latch member slidable therein, a pin securing said ring to said stem and passing freely through said elongated slot, an actuating ring slidably mounted on said stem on the side of the movable elements remote from the latch member, a collar secured to said stem at the end remote from the slotted end, a spring surrounding said stem between said actuating ring and said collar, notches in said movable elements positioned to cooperate with said tooth to releasably lock said movable members in operative position, and a suspension means mounted on the end of said stem remote from said legs.

TULIO HUMBERTO ANTONIO CORNALBA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 50,799 Crandell Nov. 7, 1865 59,844 King, Jr Nov, 20, 1866' 596,334 McWhirter Dec. 28, 1897 696,013 Doering Mar. 25, 1902 793,810 Wangen July 4, 1905 873,231 Hartshorn- Dec. 10, 1907 1,136,297 Thayer Apr. 20, 1915 1,180,120 Evans Apr. 18, 1916 1,796,197 Galbraith Mar. 10, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,118 Australia Aug. 11, 1943 of 1943 

